VERDUGO COMMUNITY CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE MAY 14, 2023

We open our service with song. Pastor Gail Linstrom welcomes all to worship and to participate in the life of our church family. She opens our worship with a responsive call to worship and Mike Minasyan calls us to worship with a reading from Psalm 89. Albert Ramseyer centers us in prayer. Jessica Jimenez, Mike Minasyan, and Ed Manacop lead us in our praise singing. Greg Hart takes up the praises and concerns of the church and our world in the Prayers of the People.

 

In her sermon, “Living Mary’s Song,” pastor Gail reminds us of the response by Mary to being told she would become the mother of Jesus, found in Luke 1. While questioning the Angel Gabriel about how this would be, she accepts the path that God has chosen, even though it is outside the customs and expectations of her society. Her cousin Elizabeth, herself pregnant with John the Baptist, affirms Mary’s choice when they meet. Mary is moved by the Spirit to praise God for his choosing her and for his actions to raise up the lowly and bring justice to the world. When God calls us to do something, we need to remember Mary’s willingness to trust and follow God’s lead.

 

Pastor Gail then then leads us in the sacrament of communion, and you are invited to participate as well.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons available to you on Facebook and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com.

 

Prayers of the People has been edited to respect the privacy and confidentiality of individual prayer requests. All CCLI songs are performed under Verdugo Community Church’s license with CCLI.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Sermon copyright 2023 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.